Says he wants 'my people' to sit at attention like Kim Jong Un's

In an impromptu June 15, 2018 interview with Fox News' "Fox & Friends" on the White House lawn, Trump praised the deference commanded by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, saying "He speaks and his people sit up at attention. I want my people to do the same." The remark came three days after Trump's Singapore summit with Kim. When reporters later pressed him on the comment, Trump said he had been joking, telling them "I'm kidding, you don't understand sarcasm." The statement drew criticism, including from commentators who noted it expressed admiration for the forced deference of an authoritarian government rather than a democratic one.

“He speaks and his people sit up at attention. I want my people to do the same.” Quote verified against source